


a heartfelt journey

by Bisexual_Mess_99



Series: gendrya kids [1]
Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 21:12:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18819106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bisexual_Mess_99/pseuds/Bisexual_Mess_99
Summary: a hug that conveys loads worth of apologies and understanding and well-wishes,because they were the Queen maker. And Arya never asked to be Queen.Nymeria licks her companion's face one last timeheavy is the head that wears the crown, heavier is the person who carries the burdenOR the one in which Jon died in The Long Night, Tyrion didn't betray Varys, The Lannister Twins died, The Clegane brothers died, Gendry died too, and Daenerys kills herself in her madness. Sadly, Arya is pregnant and the iconic duo stops making Eunuch jokes long enough to think of something else besides Dwarf jokes- like the Iron Throne, for instance.THIS IS A ONESHOT





	a heartfelt journey

**Age 6**

"Gendry Baratheon, second of his name. King of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men. Protector of the Realm... Or at least, soon to be. Don't you like it?" Tyrion asks

They stand here, in the balcony, overlooking the training yard of Winterfell. Below them is a boy and a Summer Islander, both holding bows and arrows.

"You know me better than that, good brother." Arya responds

"You're resigned. Good."

Arya sighs, "how is that good, exactly?"

"You're rebuilding- not just King's Landing or _Harrenhall_ , I'm speaking of yourself. I know it's hard to manage King's Landing, Dragonstone, _and_ Storm's End all at the same time-

Arya cuts him off with a dismissive hand, "I've given our Ser Brienne Storm's End as Wardeness of the South."

"Which must be hell for her... the title of Warden has always been from the region of High Garden." Tyrion comments

"That just means she'll have to fight off more of her daughter's suitors when the time comes. She's a fierce warrior, that Jillian..."

"Perhaps I'll drop by to visit her and my lovely niece. It's been two years for me and the child, are her eyes still blue?"

"They've turned Lannister green now. Y'know, for the Warden of the West, you sure are fond of the North."

Tyrion gives her a smile. "That I am, the cold has grown on me, I admit. And we both know my wife would rather take a hike than sit and figure out numbers- even if you did name her Wardeness of The North. That's _our_ talent, I think."

"It is. What else did Varys tell you? Aside from my Harrenhall project?"

"Only that you are a good ruler, if at times, a bit blunt- or perhaps too sharp... He thinks you're preparing for an uprising. He also states that you wish to foster Gendry, here, in the North."

"Aye. That's true."

"Arya... Are you sure?"

"I don't want to keep looking at him, Tyrion. I feel like every time I look away, when I look back... it's _his_ face. His father's face. This farce, this marriage that Varys has cooked up, every night I dream of it. But it never happened, he proposed but I... I said no. I said no, and he died, and the marriage never happened. And I feel like a pretender, which I am, and I'm just so... so lost and angry-

However much comfort it gave, Tyrion covers her hands with his own. "when did he propose?"

"That night Daenerys legitimized him. He didn't understand. He's always been good enough! I just thought... I was so sure I wasn't coming back, so ready to die but then... then _he_ died. And _I'm_  the one left alive."

Tyrion's eyes drift from his Queen to the boy in the training yard. Black of hair with blue eyes but with his mother's snow-pale skin. Unfortunately Tyrion does see it, Gendry, but also Arya's full cheeks.

"I will foster the boy for you."

"thank you"

* * *

**Age 12**

"Her Majesty, the Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men. Protector of the Realm. Bringer of the Dawn. Arya Baratheon."

The Queen  tries not to grit her teeth at the last parts. She hates being announced but at the same time, she knows it to be necessary if only to remind people who she is, a Warrior Queen. Unlike any Queens before her, Queen Arya Stark doesn't wear dresses, a fact in Westeros now. Their Warrior Queen wears cuirass, breeches, boots and leathers- like Queen Yara Greyjoy. She doesn't even compromise to fashion her clothes after Visenya or Rhaenys or any other Warrior Queen before her, Queen Arya just doesn't wear dresses and that is that.

Gendry tries not to gape at the sight of his mother. His mother is an intimidating sight, a crown of gold antlers- and that rather large direwolf the same height as her horse. His mother has swords- yes, she's got two -and a dagger on her scabbard, and he wonders if she feels weighed down by them at all.

The first sword is a small longsword though, so it must be light. The second sword is a broadsword of Valyrian steel- he's heard of that story before, Widow's Wail and Oathkeeper, two swords that came from Ice, the Stark's ancestral greatsword. The dagger is also Valyrian steel, and Gendry knows that's the weapon his mother used to save the world.

"Sister." Uncle Bran greets her with a tilt of his head.

They rise at her gesture.

"Queen Arya, The West is yours." Uncle Tyrion greets his mother with a kiss at the back of her palm, and Gendry remembers that Uncle Tyrion is a Westerner just then.

"Lord Brandon. Lord Tyrion. Lady Sansa."

"Your Grace, The North is yours." Aunt Sansa curtsies politely, but with a smile that stretches widely on her face. "My sons: Rickard Stark of Winterfell and Caylen Lannister of Casterly Rock. And my daughter, Edda Lannister, also for Casterly Rock."

As Aunt Sansa introduces Gendry's cousins, his mother moves further and further left of him. The Queen musses up Rickard's blonde hair, pats Caylen's shoulders, and cups Edda's cheeks- his cousins were awed at the physical contact.

"I'll want another niece or nephew for Winterfell." The Queen decides

Uncle Tyrion then clears his throat; "And your son, My Queen. Gendry Baratheon."

His mother looks at him with a blank face and immediately Gendry feels inadequate, his breakfast threatening to come back up. Queen Arya then walks towards him, hand on the pommel of her rapier, she stops directly in front of him and Gendry prepares to be struck. He wasn't struck, or even touched, really. The Queen simply unsheathes her sword, crouches down to be eye-level with him, and holds out the sword towards him with both hands.

"You know what this is, boy?"

"a longsword, your grace" he answers with a small voice, blinking twice.

"Aye, my _Needle_. This sword is yours now, it's no toy, and when we get home, back to King's Landing, you're going to practice with it. With me, d'you understand?"

"Yes, Your Grace. It would give me the greatest honor."

Gendry almost face-plants into the snow when his mother claps him on the back before thrusting the sword and it's carrier to him. He grins when she announces; "Did you all here that? What've you been teaching my son, how to be a ponce, Lannister?"

Just like that, the pressure for pleasantries and formalities is gone. The Queen laughs, and Uncle Tyrion laughs too before saying something that makes them all proceed into the dining hall. After disbanding her retinue, everyone watches Queen Arya Baratheon push Lord Brandon Stark's wheelchair without care for protocol, and then she buries her face into her younger brother's ginger locks, eyes closed with contentment.

When they depart from Winterfell a moonturn later, Lord Tyrion Lannister finds himself responsible for five direwolf pups; one for each of his children, himself, and Lady Sansa.

* * *

**Age 18**

"but I don't want to be King" Gendry says, putting his spoon down.

The Queen's small council all take a pause in their dinner, Lord Varys especially. The commander of the Queensguard, Podrick Payne, almost chokes before he's able to wipe his mouth and frown. Even Nymeria pauses in devouring her pig.

"And what do you mean by that, exactly? You are the last living Baratheon! There are no Targaryens left, Gen." the Queen exclaims

"I know. But... I'm only eight and ten, mother."

"And so?"

"There have been younger Kings, my dear Prince." Medgar Tully, Master of Coin, The Queen's cousin says

"Yes. There have been, the only difference is they've fought battles and seen Westeros, and they've bled for it while I hardly even know which way is to Dragonstone. Mother, you've been teaching me for all of my life, not just figures and letters. You hired a great archer from the Summer Islands to teach me while I fostered in the North, you personally taught me Water Dancing, then hired Lord Greyworm to assist me with a spear before permitting Ser Podrick to train me with greatswords. If Ican defend myself now, it's because you've made it so. I want to see the country. I want to explore and travel and meet the people like you do."

The Queen wears her blank face, holds it like a vice, careful not to show any emotion. She pushes her chair out, and stands; "We will discuss this in the morrow. Lord Varys?"

"Yes, Arya?"

"Make sure he doesn't run off before then. If we're sending him exploring, I rather he do it with a travelling companion and ample gold. Cousins." The Queen nods towards Medgar Tully and Robin Arryn as she takes her leave.

Gendry's glee is cut short when Uncle Medgar looks at him disapprovingly. It's Lord Varys who touches his hand and starts; "Arya never wanted to be Queen-

"She didn't want to be a Lady either." Maester Samwell adds

Lord Varys nods and continues; "One drunken night she told us that she has a want to see what's west of Westeros. Of course, nobody knew the answer to that, neither did we have the words to respond..."

"Your mother just wants to be sure that you're ready to be the King when it's time." Maester Samwell's wife, Lady Gilly, softly says

"You look so much like him, y'know. Your father... and his father before him." Hand of the Queen, Ser Davos, joins in.

"Your father was a good man." Greyworm also adds.

When dinner is all said and done, his Uncle Robin, the second-youngest member of the Queen's made family, hauls him to his feet;

"Come along, nephew! We're going to plan which parts of the Kingdom's we're going to see. Did you know my father, Jon Arryn, fostered your grandfather, Robert Baratheon? Do you want to meet another Aunt? One of my teachers, Mya Stone, she's a bastard, you know, like your father before he was legitimized. She taught me how to climb rocks before I was fostered to Yara Greyjoy, I think they like each other, those two. The Vale men wouldn't approve, they think two women together are unnatural, but who cares about them, right?"

* * *

**Age 24**

When he comes home riding a black bull and an ax on hand, his mother takes a step back. "At least it's not a hammer."

When Uncle Robin announces his impending marriage to a foreigner, his mother laughs. "you got her pregnant, didn't you?"

And when, in confidence, he tells his mother he wants to marry Leona Wythers, his mother asks him to be King.

Gendry Baratheon, second of his name, accepts. He won't be traipsing with his Uncles anymore, he realizes.

On the day of Gendry Baratheon II's coronation, he was also wed.

The next sennight, they toast to Ser Podrick Payne's first born son who he names Bryon for Lord Tyrion and Ser Brienne.

Several moonturns later, Ser Davos Seaworth passes in his sleep. Lord Tyrion becomes the next Hand of the King, Rickard becomes Warden of the North, and a year after that, Caylen is named Warden of the West. His mother and their family attends the tourney when Jillian of Tarth becomes the Lady of Tarth. Jillian crowns the Dowager Queen Arya her Queen of Love and Beauty as thanks for teaching her how to best her Knight of a Mother, Brienne, all those years ago that eventually ends up with Jillian being permitted to enter her own tourney that day.

Varys leaves the small council next, explaining that there's no more need for a master of whispers.

Soon, Master of Laws, Greyworm, also retires in favor of establishing a modified Unsullied in Harrenhall with the help of Queen Dowager Arya, Queen Leona, Gilly Tarly, Jeniah Payne and Syrene Arryn. The modified Unsullied is called 'The Grays' and allows women to be included. It becomes a house for any men or women seeking knighthood through swords, spears, arrows and ax-throwing.

"So basically a house of well-trained squires?"

"Well yes, but they're not really squires... more like... not-knighted knights? Definitely not sellswords though."

* * *

Gendry Baratheon the 2nd is 30 name-days old

the Queen Dowager Arya announces her plan to leave Westeros

soon, a lot of people has come to see her off,

Aunt Sansa is crying but not really pleading for her to stay

Lord Tyrion and Lord Varys envelop Gendry's mother in a hug

a hug that conveys loads worth of apologies and understanding and well-wishes,

because they were the Queen maker. And Arya never asked to be Queen.

(it's why they use her name in place of titles as much as possible)

Nymeria licks her companion's face one last time.

Uncle Robin and Uncle Medgar tries to bargain with her- to at least take one of their men,

but his mother is stubborn.

Dowager Queen Arya will sail West of Westeros with nary a man aboard her ship,

just three alive hare, and three more dead

just one dead pig, and one more alive

just two living chickens, and two more dead

she's got a stock of arrows, two bows, and some string besides

she's well stocked on firewood too

she's got the in/famous Catspaw dagger

and one more sword made of Valyrian steel that's not from Ice

Her parting words to him, her son,

 _"D'you remember where the heart is?"_ she asks, gesturing to Needle

Gendry nods, barely managing not to cry- a King doesn't cry, he shouldn't cry

but he's so scared, and he doesn't understand

why does she have to leave him?

_"Good. You just keep remembering._

_You don't need an old miserable shit like me, son. You're ready."_

She hands him Widow's Wail.

_"Wait, mum! Your new sword, every great sword has a name."_

She smiles at him, then. _"Promise."_

And then she leaves.

The people of King's Landing waste grain to throw at her, along with flower petals.

They ring the bells for her.

Some braver men even confess their undying love and devotion to her.

The musicians play _'My Featherbed'_ because it's Her Majesty, the Dowager Queen, Bringer of the Dawn, Arya Baratheon's favorite song

"Send us a raven!" Maester Samwell, Ser Podrick, and many more cry out to her

Gendry cries when he can no longer see the outline of his mother's dark brown hair being blown by the wind

He is at age 36 when Nymeria dies,

his mother never sent that raven.

**Author's Note:**

> So the new gen from oldest to youngest:  
> \- Robin Arryn  
> \- Little Sam, Maester in training  
> \- Medgar Tully (Roslin Frey and Edmure Tully's firstborn son)  
> \- Jon Tarly, Little Sam's half-brother, Lord of Hornhill  
> \- Gendry II  
> \- Jillian of Tarth  
> \- Rickard Stark, Caylen Lannister, Edda Lannister  
> \- Bryon Payne


End file.
